In many instances, utility providers desire to electronically communicate with the utility service meters for numerous purposes including scheduling disconnection or connection of utility services to the metered loads, automatic meter reading (AMR), load shedding and load control, automatic distribution and smart-grid applications, outage reporting, providing additional services such as Internet, video, and audio, etc. In many of these instances, to perform these functions the meters must be configured to communicate with one or more computing devices through a communications network, which can be wired, wireless or a combination of wired and wireless, as known to one of ordinary skill in the art.
In many instances, such meters are also equipped with an electromechanical switch that can be actuated remotely to perform functions such as disconnection or connection of utility services to the metered loads, load shedding and load control, and the like. However, in many instances the utility also desires to know which phase or phases of a poly-phase electrical system the load is connected, or which phase or phases a load control relay is connected. One challenge faced by the utilities is that the records are incomplete or inaccurate that indicate to a smart meter installer which phase an individual customer is connected. Therefore, in order to accurately identify the current phase of a particular feeder branch, utility company personnel must physically trace a cable run back through various distribution facilities until they reach a point in the distribution network at which the phase is definitively known. This can be a very time-consuming and labor-intensive process, which can often lead to incorrect information. During storms or emergencies this can also lead to safety issues as well. When a utility performs various operations such as load profiling, analyzing power quality, loading of each phase, distribution system planning, and the like, it is important to know on which phase or phases the smart meters are connected so that analysis can be done with respect to each phase.
Therefore, systems and methods are desired that provide phase identification of a smart meter that overcome challenges present in the art, some of which are described above.